Smart Cities

The Internet of Things continues to expand and reach new heights every day, and according to Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, so is data. “We produce more data every other day than we did from the inception of early civilization until the year 2003 combined,” Schmidt said. Now that is a lot of data being produced every day and as more devices connect, the more the idea of the “Device Mesh” becomes a reality. But just how much and how far can this data and the Device Mesh extend to? We have already seen these new connected technologies in our homes with the smart key locks and thermostats, but what about smart cities?

Smart cities not only integrate smart-building technologies, but it integrates transportation, energy, water resources, waste collections, even and security technologies. It is the idea of pulling together diverse systems and creating a holistic system of smart cities. At last year’s ‘Smart City Event,’ an annual international event where participants from all over the world get together to share their projects and ideas with the world. The ideas exchanged range from using people’s iPhone’s to track crowd movement for crowd control to placing sensors all over the city to exchange data faster.

The Dutch IT Company, Vicrea, with the idea of the sensors specializes in smart integrated information systems, Smart Geographic Information Systems and Smart City Solutions. According to their website, “Vicrea offers an unparalleled, innovative, spatial-IT solution that unlocks data from different databases in a completely new way. This Smart Solution sorts all data around its location, so that it becomes easily available and simple to interpret.” Below is a picture of their SmartMaps.

It is the collaboration among these nations that allows for the idea that one day we can see these smart cities become a connected reality. For more information on the Smart City Event, please visit www.smart-circle.org/smartcity. And if you are interested in learning more about the innovations of Vicrea, visit their website at http://www.vicrea.nl/en.

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